60 Years: The Toyota Corolla will be old enough to get a senior citizen card

Back in the sixties, the Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were going on; we had the space race; the iconic Revolver album from The Beatles made its debut; Star Trek and the original Batman television series starring Adam West aired on the ‘tube.

As for automobiles, the humble little Toyota Corolla also debuted in November 1966, making it 60 years old as of 2026. Little did Toyota know that this model would go on to live for sixty whole years, and it’s not stopping there.

And if you’re wondering why some people call them the TE30, the KE70, or the AE86, that’s because the first letter signifies the engine fitted, and the second letter is the chassis code, which in this case, “E” stands for Corolla; the first number signifies the generation, and the last digit is the variation or configuration of the model.

The first generation (E10) was to be the “people’s car” back in the day in the midst of Japan’s rapid economic growth. It came with a 1.1-liter carburetted gasoline engine (K engine) or a 1.2-liter carburetted gasoline engine (3K), had two body styles, and more than just the bare essentials at a good price tag that didn’t break the bank. In fact, the Philippines was also assembling the Corolla under Delta Motors Corporation, Toyota’s partner in the country at the time.

The second generation (E20) was a revolution in itself when it debuted in 1970. A more rounded “coke bottle” body style, the debut of the Sprinter and Levin names for the sportier variants, the same 3K 1.2-liter carburetted gasoline engine or a larger 1.6-liter 2T carburetted gas engine, this model would fondly be known in the Philippines as the “Mango” for the coupe and the “Peanut” for the sedan due to how their body shapes resemble those foods.

Appearing five years later is the third-generation Corolla (E30). It grew in size once more to be a more spacious option for families, and also added a sportier liftback form factor. This one is particularly popular in the Philippines for its reputation for street racing at the time. It was a popular platform for modification, especially with the 2T-B twin-carb engines that punched out 105 horsepower stock.

The fourth generation Corolla (E70) is one of the more beloved generations of the Corolla, showing when it went all-in on ‘80s boxiness, and saw improvements in power and efficiency, especially thanks to the introduction of the K-series engines. In the Philippines remembered by its DX variant (hence the Corolla DX nickname) and was usually offered as a four-door sedan with the 1.3-liter 4K engine, which many have viewed as a robust workhorse.

Despite what most people say, we actually got a limited number of fifth-generation Corollas (E80) in the Philippines before Delta Motors and Toyota pulled out of the market in 1984. This was the first Corolla to shift towards a more compact and efficient Front Wheel Drive configuration. However, this model is better known for its iconic Sprinter Trueno and Levin AE86 models, rear-wheel-drive coupe versions that were popularized due to drifting and manga like Initial D.

The sixth-generation Corolla (E90) is the first Corolla to be assembled locally by Toyota Motor Philippines as it debuted back in 1989. Affectionately called the “Small Body”, this was a smoothing out of the design and interior, and it was also the first model to proudly debut the 1.6-liter, four-cylinder, 16-valve dual overhead cam 4A-F engine. To this day, many love this Corolla, and it’s still used in some motorsports today because of how small and agile the chassis can be.

As for the seventh-generation Corolla (E100), this is what its chief engineer, Akihiko Saito, and people considered to be a “mini Lexus” in the 1990s. Thanks to the improvements made inside and out, it’s now considered a compact sedan and was fondly referred to as the “Big Body” in the Philippines. It still carried over similar engine choices as before, but the top-of-the-line model got the fuel-injected 1.6-liter 4A-FE gasoline engine, alongside luxuries and safety equipment like ABS.

The eighth-generation Corolla (E110) is not as big of a jump from the Small Body to the Big Body, but it had an increased focus on safety. In fact, it got the nickname “Love Life” from one of its commercials that showcased all of the vehicle’s new safety features. This was also where the “Altis” nameplate made its debut in the Philippines, where it was initially a variant name before being adopted entirely in the next generation.

The ninth-generation Corolla (E120) was where it formally adopted the Altis nameplate. In fact, we got an entirely different look specific to the Southeast Asian market, sporting a more bubbly, circular appearance inside and out. It had way more luxuries compared to the previous generation, mainly because the Vios had finally joined the lineup, taking the spot of Toyota’s affordable sedan for most of the world. This was also where we saw the famous ZZ family of engines appear, ranging from the 1.6-liter 3ZZ-FE to the high-revving, 1.8-liter 1ZZ-FE.

The 10th generation Corolla (E140) marked a departure to a more restrained look and feel. Once again, Southeast Asia got a different model from the other markets, looking more upscale and mature. In the Philippines, the Corolla Altis was no longer being built locally at the Santa Rosa plant in Laguna, but was now being imported from Thailand. The ZR family of engines also made its debut here, coming in either as the 2.0-liter 3ZR-FE or the 1.6-liter 1ZR-FE for the Philippines.

The 11th generation Corolla (E170) adopted the New MC platform, allowing it to also be able to use the Toyota Hybrid System, at least for the Japanese market. Elsewhere, it was still using the pure ICE ZR engine lineup, being locally offered in the Philippines either with the 1.6-liter 1ZR-FE or the 2.0-liter 3ZR-FE. It can also be considered the first Corolla to move upmarket, prioritizing space and luxury features. In fact, some even say that the rear legroom is close, if not similar to the Camry of the same generation.

The 12th (E210) generation saw the model’s shift to the Toyota New Global Architecture Platform. This was the first truly global hybrid variant that the Philippines got back in 2019, and it continues to be sold to this day. The modular platform also allowed it to evolve into many different forms like a crossover (Corolla Cross) or a high-performance, all-wheel drive hatchback (GR Corolla).

As for the 13th-generation Corolla, we don’t know what its model code name is yet, but we have seen what the concept car looks like at the Japan Mobility Show 2025, and that it will be utilizing a new set of powertrains with the N15 engine as the basis for both the new hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems. In fact, we could even see a fully electric Corolla down the line.

Whatever this is, the status of the Corolla is definitely an iconic nameplate that’s cemented itself not only in automotive history books, but in the history of the entire world as well. Here’s to sixty years of the Corolla existing, and many more memories to be made around the world.

^{Photos from Toyota and Sam Surla}